Trends in social media: The Motherhood, one of the top influencer marketing agencies, scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!
Influencer Marketing Industry Resources
Amazon’s Live Sports Land Grab Helps Boost Ad Segment to $19.8B in Q2 – July 31, 2026
- Amazon’s ad business hit $19.8 billion in Q2, fueled in part by its growing live sports portfolio, with data showing brands that activate across multiple sports achieve stronger reach than single-sport advertisers
- A useful data point for client conversations: sports-adjacent creator content isn’t just cultural – it’s increasingly a measurable performance channel
IRL Streamers Are Brands’ Biggest Marketing Opportunity – July 31, 2026
- IRL streamers like IShowSpeed – who became the first Black creator to hit 50 million YouTube subscribers and was dubbed “Gen Z’s ESPN” – reach audiences in their most engaged state: watching live, unscripted moments unfold in real time
- Unlike traditional influencer content, IRL streams can’t be skipped or scrolled past, making them one of the highest-attention environments available to brands willing to move beyond scripted posts
Inside Nike’s ‘Rip the Script’ World Cup Campaign – July 30, 2026
- Nike’s six-minute World Cup hero film garnered 3 billion total views, but the brand’s VP says the real work starts now – converting post-tournament inspiration into ongoing soccer fandom and product engagement
- Nike is already preparing for the Women’s World Cup 2027, Olympics, Euro 2028, and Copa América, treating the tournament not as a campaign endpoint but as a launchpad for the next four years of sports marketing
How Yogurt Brand Sourmilk Is Making Its Mark On- and Offline – July 30, 2026
- Sourmilk founders built their brand by delivering more than 8,000 pre-ordered yogurts across NYC on Citi Bikes in what they called a “drug deal” model – a deliberately provocative name designed to go viral and get people talking before hitting retail shelves
- Their strategy pairs IRL moments with real-time social capture, with founder Kiki Couchman’s personal account (@Couchwoman) accumulating more than double the brand’s own following – a textbook example of founder-led EGC fueling brand growth
Inside Unilever’s 300,000 creator network: the logistics behind the headline number – July 30, 2026
“Creative thinking is at the forefront of this industry, some of the best creators that we work with today probably wouldn’t have been in a ranking list on someone’s spreadsheet six months ago,” Ormos said.
Why This Marketer Believes “Less Is More” in Marketing – July 27, 2026
Last year, the conglomerate announced plans to center creators in its marketing, and has since built an army of 300,000 of them, activating 50,000 at this year’s FIFA World Cup.
Using AI to source creators could mean brands keep “discovering” the same people, suggested Ormos. “Everyone’s finding that you’re doing the same search on some SaaS-type thing you built that’s scraping creators, you’re searching for the same audience or the same engagement rate, you’re just gonna be hitting up the same creators,” she said.
- Raja Rajamannar, former Mastercard CMO, significantly cut the brand’s traditional advertising budget and redirected spend toward experiences, sponsorships, and consumer engagement – and saw better results
- His core argument: visibility and impact aren’t the same thing, and brands that repeat the same ads endlessly are wasting money on clutter rather than building real connection
- For influencer and creator-led strategies, this is a strong validation – authentic, experience-driven content is exactly what performs in a world where traditional ads are losing their grip
AI Brands Are Targeting Smaller Markets – Not Major Metros – July 27, 2026
- In the first five months of 2026, OpenAI allocated more ad impression share for ChatGPT in the Midwest, Mountain West, and South rather than saturated markets like California and Florida
- Google and Anthropic are following a similar playbook, focusing consumer AI brand-building in smaller American metros
- A useful signal for how major tech brands are thinking about reach and audience development – going deep in underserved markets rather than fighting for attention in crowded ones
Liberty Mutual Turns “Liberty Biberty” From Famous Ad Flub Into Its Newest Brand Character – July 27, 2026
- Liberty Mutual formalized “Liberty Biberty” – a phrase born from a flubbed audition line in a 2019 ad – into a full brand character, joining LiMu Emu and Doug on the company’s permanent roster
- The new character, a fuzzy yellow puppet crafted by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, will appear across TV, streaming, social, and creator partnerships – with about 40-50% of Liberty’s marketing budget behind it
- A compelling case study in leaning into organic cultural moments rather than abandoning them: the audience already loved it, and the brand finally caught up
How a Nonprofit Reimagined Social Video with a Scripted Office-Style Series – July 20, 2026
- The Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) built a weekly scripted social series called the “Formerly Incarcerated Office” – a mockumentary-style show inspired by The Office – to humanize formerly incarcerated people and shift public perception of the organization
- The series was produced entirely by the nonprofit’s small comms team, proving that episodic creator content doesn’t require a big budget or a brand partnership to work
- ARC’s communications director had noticed scripted brand series from companies like Bilt gaining traction and believed the format was largely untapped in the nonprofit space
- The show uses humor to subvert assumptions – a deliberate creative choice that sets it apart from traditional advocacy content
- For brands and organizations of any size, this is a compelling case for investing in serialized, character-driven content as a mission-building tool rather than just a brand awareness play
Inside MLS and NWSL’s Plans to Make World Cup Fans Stick Around – July 20, 2026
- With 45 MLS players competing in the World Cup, MLS CMO Radhika Duggal launched the league’s largest coordinated campaign ever – “Thanks World, We’ll Take It From Here” – to convert tournament fans into regular-season viewers
- The NWSL is running a parallel play, positioning itself as the elite landing spot for World Cup-converted fans ahead of next year’s Women’s World Cup
- A smart case study in how leagues and their brand partners can extend tentpole momentum rather than waiting for the next major event
Creator Spend Is Up 61%, But Brand Linkage Is Stalling – July 16, 2026
- Kantar’s latest data shows a net 61% of marketers are increasing creator content investment in 2026 – the top-ranked channel for future budget growth
- The catch: only 27% of creator content ties strongly to brand messaging, meaning spend is outpacing strategic effectiveness by a wide margin
- The data is a strong argument for long-term creator partnerships and brand guardrails over one-off activations – quality and consistency matter more than volume
Nearly 6 in 10 young women get health and wellness information from influencers – July 13, 2026
Around half of young women who get health and wellness information from influencers (51%) say that wanting to make a change in their health or lifestyle is a major reason for doing so.
How Aéropostale Is Entertaining Gen Alpha with a Creator-Led Mini-Series – July 9, 2026
57% of women ages 18 to 29 say they ever get health and wellness information from influencers.
- Aéropostale is tapping creators to produce an episodic mini-series targeting Gen Alpha, blending entertainment and brand storytelling in a format that feels native to how younger audiences actually consume content
- A strong example of how brands are moving beyond sponsored posts toward longer-form creator partnerships that build genuine audience connection over time
State Farm Enlists IShowSpeed to Keep Its Brand in the World Cup Conversation – July 7, 2026
- State Farm partnered with soccer creator IShowSpeed to stay relevant during the World Cup without being an official FIFA sponsor – leaning on a creator’s existing audience rather than buying traditional sports media
- It reinforces that the right creator partnership can give brands authentic access to cultural moments that expensive sponsorships can’t always buy
Yahoo CMO on Working with Creators: “We’ve Doubled and Tripled Down” – July 9, 2026
- Yahoo’s CMO shared how the brand is approaching creator partnerships at every level – from big strategic deals to gifting micro-creators who happen to use a Yahoo email address
- A practical reminder that creator strategy doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing: lightweight, nimble activations can be just as brand-building as formal campaigns
How Microdramas Are Becoming the Next Brand Content Gold Rush – July 9, 2026
The open question is whether brand involvement will dilute what makes microdramas work – or if the brands that let creators lead will actually pull it off
Cannes Lions Showed Why The Creator Economy Has Entered a New Era – July 5, 2026
Brands are increasingly experimenting with short-form episodic drama content on social platforms, drawn by strong engagement numbers and the format’s popularity with younger audiences
- Cannes 2026 made clear the creator economy has matured into a serious pricing and infrastructure conversation, with a new $250 million fund targeting creator-led businesses announced at the festival
- The shift signals that creator marketing is no longer a media tactic – it’s becoming a full business category in its own right
Inside Unilever’s Creator-Driven World Cup Strategy – July 1, 2026
- Unilever built a dedicated “House of Fresh” creator hub in Manhattan (with additional locations in Mexico City and Miami) as an invite-only, content-ready space for influencers activated around the World Cup
- The strategy puts creator partnerships at the center of their sponsorship, with the goal of making every matchday “immediately shareable” and extending the reach of the tournament beyond traditional media
How Soccer Creators Are Helping Make the World Cup More Than a Moment – June 30, 2026
- Leagues like LaLiga and Bundesliga are tapping influencers to build sustained engagement with American fans this summer, treating every match as a content opportunity rather than a single broadcast event
- A strong example of how creator partnerships can transform a tentpole into a longer cultural conversation
“Corporate Natalie” on Building a Creator Business with Company Culture – July 1, 2026
- Natalie Marshall, known as “Corporate Natalie,” turned her social media hobby into a full business with a team of employees – and credits intentional company culture for sustaining it beyond just her personal brand
- A timely reminder that as creator-led businesses scale, the infrastructure behind the content matters as much as the content itself
Ranked: The 50 Highest-Paid Creators in 2026 – July 5, 2026
- The latest rankings reveal how lucrative the creator economy has become, spanning YouTubers, podcasters, and social media personalities earning at levels that rival traditional media figures
- A useful benchmark for understanding creator compensation as brands and agencies build out partnerships and negotiate deals
Disclosure Is Having a Rough Week – July 2, 2026
- DoorDash ran an undisclosed paid partnership with T-Pain during the World Cup that went viral before audiences realized it wasn’t organic – resulting in community notes flagging the posts as ads
- Gymshark is simultaneously facing a class action alleging it built its brand on influencers who were never properly disclosed as paid partners, with some contractually blocked from promoting competitors
New York Now Requires Disclosure of AI Performers in Ads – June 30, 2026
- New York’s new law requiring disclosure of AI-generated performers in advertising could set a national precedent for how brands label AI use in campaigns
- As synthetic influencers and AI-generated content become more common, transparency standards are becoming both a compliance issue and a competitive differentiator
EU Online Commerce Law Must Force Clear Labeling of Influencer Marketing, Groups Say – July 6, 2026
- A coalition of 15 advocacy groups is pushing the EU to require platforms to clearly label influencer marketing content under new online commerce regulations
- With disclosure requirements tightening on both sides of the Atlantic, brands and agencies will need to be increasingly proactive about transparency in creator partnerships
EGC
Gap Inc. Opens Its Creator Program to Employees – July 27, 2026
- Gap Inc. expanded its creator affiliate and social media advocacy program to corporate, distribution, and store staff across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta – allowing employees to earn commissions and create branded content
- Since launching with external creators in October 2025, nearly 30,000 unique posts reached 154 million users – now Gap is betting its own employees can drive even more authentic reach
- One of the clearest examples yet of a major retailer formalizing EGC at scale, building a structure where employees are incentivized to become brand advocates on their own channels
The Biggest Missed Opportunity in Marketing Isn’t AI. It’s Your Own Employees – July 20, 2026
- While brands chase AI-powered content tools, many are overlooking their most credible marketing asset: their own employees – whose personal networks and authentic voices can reach audiences no company page can replicate
- The biggest mistake in EGC is treating it like a repost strategy – the most effective employee content is about the person first, with the brand naturally woven in, which is exactly what makes it feel trustworthy
- Every employee brings a distinct network and perspective, meaning a handful of active employee creators can collectively reach far more diverse communities than any single brand account trying to speak to everyone
SOCIAL NEWS
Every Streaming Platform Now Has a Vertical Video Feed – July 28, 2026
- HBO Max is the latest platform to add a TikTok-style short-form feed, joining Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, Disney, and Spotify – all of which have launched vertical video features in the last few months
- The motive isn’t about viewer experience: it’s about time spent and ad revenue, with Netflix CEO openly naming Instagram as a competitor on the last earnings call
Facebook Tests Full-Screen Video as Its Default Experience – July 28, 2026
- Meta is testing a version of Facebook that opens directly into full-screen video with no news feed, rolling out first in video-heavy markets with the US potentially next
- After losing 20 million users across its apps in Q1, Meta is betting video is where community and commerce are heading – and it’s restructuring the entire app experience around that bet
Meta Still Has the Widest Social Media Reach – July 27, 2026
- Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp each have more monthly active users than any competing platform, reinforcing Meta’s dominance across the social landscape
- For brands and agencies, the data confirms that Meta’s ecosystem remains the highest-reach environment for influencer and creator content – regardless of where cultural conversations are happening
5 LinkedIn Tips for Brands in 2026 – July 27, 2026
- Social Media Today rounded up best practices for brand presence on LinkedIn, with an emphasis on thought leadership, executive voice, and community engagement
- As LinkedIn continues testing new feed features and suggested content, brands that invest in consistent, authentic posting – including from executives and employees – are positioned to benefit most
Can Social Media Platforms Survive the Flood of AI Content? – July 25, 2026
TikTok’s World Cup content surpassed 1.2 trillion views, cementing the platform as the primary social destination for sports fan conversation and creator content
- Social Media Today’s weekend deep dive tackled the growing concern that AI-generated content is flooding feeds at a pace platforms weren’t designed to handle
- As the volume of synthetic content rises, the platforms most likely to thrive will be the ones that can credibly surface authentic, human-made content – making creator partnerships more valuable, not less
The World Cup Generated 1.2 Trillion Views on TikTok – July 23, 2026
For brands looking to reach soccer-converted fans in the MLS post-World Cup window, TikTok is clearly where that audience is living
TikTok Report Explores Creative AI Optimization for Brands – July 20, 2026
- TikTok released a new report in partnership with WARC finding that relevance matters more than volume when it comes to AI-assisted content – quality and context beat quantity every time
- A useful counter-narrative to the “post more AI content faster” mindset that’s becoming common, and a good data point for client conversations about content strategy
YouTube Offers Tips for Working with Shorts – July 20, 2026
- YouTube’s Culture and Entertainment Editor shared platform guidance on using interactive features and building community engagement through Shorts
- As Shorts continues to mature as a creator format, brands investing in short-form vertical video should take note of what YouTube itself says drives retention and reach
How TikTok Shop Is Changing Innovation for Food and Beverage Brands – July 20, 2026
- Major food and beverage brands including PepsiCo are using TikTok Shop not just to drive sales, but to inform new product development based on what’s resonating with shoppers in real time
- TikTok Shop is increasingly functioning as both a retail channel and a consumer insights engine – a dual role that makes it hard for brands to ignore
Federal Employees Can Now Download TikTok on Government Devices – July 17, 2026
A signal that TikTok’s platform status in the US is stabilizing – good news for brands and creators who’ve been cautious about long-term investment in the app
Instagram Will Charge for AI Access – July 13, 2026
The DOJ confirmed federal employees are now permitted to download TikTok on government devices, a notable reversal from recent years of restrictions
- Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed AI features will move toward a paid tier, citing the high cost of running AI models and the need to either throttle usage or charge users
- For brands and creators relying on AI-powered tools within the platform, this signals a shift in how platform AI features will be priced and accessed going forward
Meta Removes Instagram’s AI Remix Option – July 13, 2026
- Meta pulled its AI remix feature just two days after launch after backlash over allowing users to generate AI images using other people’s content without clear consent
- A fast-moving reminder that AI content tools are still outpacing platform policy – and that creator rights and consent remain unresolved pressure points
EU Commission Preliminarily Finds Meta Apps Addictive – July 13, 2026
- The EU Commission cited features like infinite scroll and autoplay as violations of the Digital Services Act, marking a significant potential regulatory action against Meta’s platform design
- If upheld, this could lead to meaningful changes in how Instagram and Facebook surface content – with downstream effects for creator and brand visibility
TikTok Launches AI Literacy Measures – July 13, 2026
As AI-generated content becomes harder to distinguish from authentic posts, platforms are starting to take transparency education more seriously – which will matter for creator and brand credibility
Meta Goes All-In on Smart Glasses – July 2, 2026
TikTok released a guide to help users spot AI-generated content and is building out a learning hub for practical AI detection skills
- Meta launched its first standalone glasses line starting at $299, added a $19.99 Meta One Premium subscription tier, and integrated glasses-exclusive features into Instagram Stories
- The combination of a lower price point, a subscription model, and native social features signals Meta is treating glasses as its next major platform – not a side project
YouTube Creator Content Now Appears in Over 25% of AI Search Prompts – July 2, 2026
- New data from Jellyfish shows YouTube creator content surfaces in more than a quarter of AI assistant responses, making it one of the most AI-discoverable content formats available
- For brands investing in creator video content, this adds a meaningful new distribution channel beyond traditional social reach
TikTok Launches New Agentic AI Hub for Marketers – July 1, 2026
- As AI-powered creation becomes table stakes on major platforms, the bar for standing out with authentic, creator-driven content continues to rise
- TikTok rolled out a new agentic AI hub giving marketers tools to build and manage campaigns with greater automation and creative assistance
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